While WFIRST will be an equally sensitive counterpart to the Hubble Space Telescope, its 300-megapixel instrument will image an area 100 times larger than Hubble was capable of.

Poster v. Wallpaper

To get an idea of just how much more we will be able to see with this new technology, David Spergel, co-chair of the WFIRST science working group and the Charles A. Young professor of astronomy at Princeton University stated that “A picture from Hubble is a nice poster on the wall, while a WFIRST image will cover the entire wall of your house.”

Technological developments like this have the power to not only inspire us with beautiful imagery, they have the ability to support and prompt research. Earlier this year, scientists discovered astounding evidence of gravitational waves using the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO).

Both technological advances that are novel, and those that are improved versions of older concepts, give us the ability to better understand the cosmos. What’s more, our ability to comprehend the great mysteries of the universe is only as good as the raw information that we have about it — and, of course, our ability to interpret it. Building instruments that are able to collect more of that information, and in even greater detail, gives scientists a remarkable power to push the boundaries of knowledge and understanding.

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